Asparagus Risotto with Quorn

Recipe: risotto


Asparagus Risotto--

Ingredients:

2-1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, tips cut off and reserved
Salt
8 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3-1/2 cups arborio rice (1 pound)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3 ounces)
Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Cook the asparagus tips in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tips to a colander and rinse in cold water; drain well.
2. Break the asparagus stalks in half. Add them to the boiling water and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water, then drain the stalks. Puree the stalks with the reserved cooking water in a food processor. Using a rubber spatula, work the puree through a coarse sieve; you should have about 2 cups.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the shallots are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir over moderate heat to coat the grains with the oil. Pour in the wine and continue stirring until the wine is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Add 1 cup of the hot stock and stir constantly until almost absorbed. Continue adding the stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until it is absorbed before adding more. When the rice is almost tender, after about 15 minutes, add the asparagus puree. Continue to cook, stirring, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus tips and stir for 1 minute to heat through.
5. Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the butter and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and let stand for 2 minutes, then spoon the risotto into shallow bowls and serve.

Quorn
I just sauteed the Quorn with some oil and rosemary. Feel free to prepare as you wish.

Verdict:

I loved loved loved this risotto. This is my first time ever making risotto in general, and I have to say, it is a lot of work. And hot. But this recipe doesn't have cream or very much cheese, so it is a little healthier. Also, the asparagus puree is amazing. I don't even love asparagus, though I doubt you could tell from the recipes I post. It's in season and I know that you can cook cool things with it, which is why I keep trying new things.


Short story--go make this now. It'll feed alot of people (4-8) so cut the recipe if you don't want leftovers out the wazoo.

Thai Noodle Soup and Rice Cake

THAI NOODLE SOUP

Ingredients:
2 tsp sunflower or other vegetable oil
1 small garlic clove, chopped
2 lemongrass stalks
2 kaffir lime leaves - or strip of pared lime rind (I couldn't find the leaves, so I used rind.)
1.2 litres/2 pint veggie stock
75g/3oz dried medium egg noodles
1 lime, juice only (about 2 tsp)
½ medium-hot red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2.5ml/½ tsp sugar
50g/2oz fresh spinach or pak choi, cut into 2.5cm/1in wide strips
a handful fresh coriander/cilantro leaves

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the garlic and fry gently over a medium heat for 1 minute.
3. Meanwhile, lightly crush the lemon grass stalks with a rolling pin or the blade of a large knife.
4. To make the soup add the lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and stock to the pan, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. To refine the soup, strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, return to the pan and add lime juice, red chilli and sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes. (I just picked out the lemongrass and lime rind, because I am lazy.)
6. Meanwhile , drop the noodles into a pan of boiling water, remove from the heat and leave to soak for 4 minutes, before draining. (Or just toss the noodles in to the broth and cook them that way, which is what I did because I didn't feel like pulling out another pot and waiting for the water to boil.)
7. Add the egg noodles and spinach, or pak choi and simmer for a further 30 seconds.
8.Finally, ladle into bowls, dividing the noodles equally between them and scatter over the coriander leaves.


RICE CAKE

Ingredients:
150g/5¼oz cooked Thai fragrant rice (I used plain basmati, because I had no idea where to find this.)
1 free-range egg, beaten
2 spring onions, finely chopped
½ red pepper, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
drizzle soy sauce
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. Place the cooked rice into a large bowl. Stir in the beaten egg along with the spring onions, pepper, salt and freshly ground black pepper and soy sauce.
3. Heat the oil in a small to medium non-stick frying pan. Spoon the rice mixture into the pan and press down. Fry for about two minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for a further 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Turn the cake out and cut into wedges to serve.


NOTES
The soup could easily be made vegan by the substitution of regular noodles for egg noodles, and the rice cake if you felt like playing around with non-egg binders.

I believe the entire meal is gluten-free, although of course you'd want to double-check your broth and noodles.


VERDICT
The soup was fine. Not the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my life, but it was good and had a nice balance of spice/savory/sour as Thai food should. I might make it again, although I think it would be better as an appetizer than part of the main course.

The rice cake was a little odd, just because it was rice and egg all baked together. Certainly edible, but probably not something I'd cook for myself again.

Aloo Tikki with Chhole

Recipe: aloo tikki

Another dish I've had at a restaurant and have tried to reproduce at home. The chhole isn't what I had in the restaurant. I had sev sar over it, but apparently the internet doesn't know what sev sar is...oh well. They were still good separately.


Aloo Tikki

Ingredients:
1/4 kg potatoes boiled and grated
1/4 cup of boiled and mashed green peas
2 slices white bread toasted a bit and made into a coarse powder (bread crumbs)
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
1" ginger grated
3 tbsps of chopped fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
1 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
ghee/oil for shallow frying

Method:
Boil potatoes and cool them before grating them.Add the rest of the ingredients except the ghee and mix well.Roll into lemon sized balls and flatten them and shape into cutlets or round burger shaped patties and flatten them a bit.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee on a griddle and add 3 to 4 tikkis at a time and let them cook on slow fire till a crisp golden color crust is formed on both the sides.Remove on absorbent paper and serve with chole & a squeeze of lemon.


CHHOLE-

Ingredients:
2 cans Garbanzo beans also called Chick Peas
2 large Onions, chopped finely
4 large Tomatoes, chopped finely OR 1 cup of canned tomatoes can be used instead
2 teaspoons Ginger paste
2 teaspoons Garlic paste
2 Bay leaves
1 Star anise
2" long Cinnamon stick
2 to 3 teaspoons Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Garam masala
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons Oil
3 table spoons fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1/4th cup cilantro or coriander leaves, chopped finely

Method:
Heat the oil; add the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick and the ginger and garlic paste. Sauté for a few minutes till light brown.

Add the onions and fry till brown. Add the tomatoes and sauté till the oil starts to separate.

Add the cumin powder, garam masala salt, sugar and mint leaves. Mix well.

Add the garbanzo beans. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve over Aloo tikkis with some finely chopped red onion, cilantro leaves & a squeeze of lemon.


Verdict:
So, I ended up serving the aloo with yogurt and eating the chhole separately. I loved the aloo, but then again, it's potatoes and yogurt, two of the best ingredients ever. The chhole was good, too, but I think I should have used fresh tomatoes to make it more fresh and creamy.

This could be gluten free if you substituted the breadcrumbs with corn meal or something. There are other recipes that use corn meal, if you search.

Cheese Fondue

(Recipe from FondueRecipes.org)

Ingredients:
8 oz of shredded chedder cheese.
8 oz shredded emmental chesse.
1 garlic clove.
1 can of beer.*
2 tablespoons of flour.
1 teaspoon of Salt.
Pinch of pepper.

Method:
Mix together all of the ingredients. Melt the mixture and place into a fondue pot.

NOTES
*I used Shiner Bock, a central-Texas specialty and just really good middle-of-the-road beer. (Also so I could toss around words like 'local specialty' and 'you probably can't find it in your area'.) Any medium to dark beer would probably work fine.

Serve with cubes of French bread, cubes of fried potato, steamed broccoli, steamed cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, cubes of apple, and/or whatever else you have lying around that seems like it could be good with cheese. Go wild!

Do not be fooled by the simplicity of the 'Method'. "Just melt the cheese and put it in the fondue pot!" Apparently you have to be very careful when melting the cheese and not cook it at too hot or cool a temperature lest it become a MASS OF DISGUSTING GLOOP in beer. Incidentally.

VERDICT
Well, I really only wanted to try my hand at fondue because I had discovered a brand new fondue set at Goodwill for only $5 several months earlier and had bought it. Despite the somewhat off-putting texture of the concoction I ended up with, it tasted good, and with all of the dipping items it actually made for a pretty well-balanced and filling meal. I'm not sure how soon I'll be attempting cheese fondue again, but I think I'd like to try some of the oil and dessert varieties, at least.

Upitta and Ravioli

Recipes: Sage cream ravioli

This week has been crazy. So, due to different engagements every night, I have cooked two meals partly from scratch. Enjoy!

Upitta--

Ingredients:
Cream of Wheat
potatoes
peas
onions
spices
oil

Method:

1. Peel and boil potatoes. Toast Cream of Wheat.
2. Saute onions and spices.
3. Add potatoes.
4. Add Cream of Wheat and follow box's directions.



Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce--

Ingredients:
1 8- to 9-ounce package refrigerated vegetable-filled ravioli

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage leaves
3/4 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup whipping cream

Parmesan cheese shavings

Method:
Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and stir until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pecans to small bowl. Add shallots and sage to same skillet. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add ravioli to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls. Sprinkle with pecans and Parmesan.

Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and stir until slightly darker and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pecans to small bowl. Add shallots and sage to same skillet. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and cream. Increase heat and boil until sauce is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add ravioli to sauce; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Divide between bowls. Sprinkle with pecans and Parmesan.

Verdict:

Well, I still can't make Upitta, but now that I can spell it, I have found some recipes that I can try. One day, Sharad will teach us how to do it. He's made it alot and it always comes out to this consistency that I just can't get. And I messed up the spices this time. So, I'm sorry if that recipe sucks. I'll share the winner when I can find it!

I used spinach and cheese ravioli, from the *gasp* frozen aisle. The sauce was nice. It needed a little more butter to mellow it out, and I was using a fruity wine that wasn't quite right. I also would have strained out most of the 'stuff' that ends up in the sauce at the end, just to make for a more pleasant eating experience. You could even use some of it as a garnish.

I served the ravioli with a radicchio and carrot salad that was okay. I also forgot to bring the bread (we had a picnic), so it wasn't as filling as it could be.

Mild Coconut Curry

(Original recipe from BBC Food.)

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk
4 tbsp Puy lentils (I had no idea what these were or where to find them, so I used red lentils. Because that's what we had at home.)
1 tbsp coconut oil (Couldn't find it at the grocery store, so used vegetable oil.)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
125g/4oz green beans
1 [courgette/zucchini], chopped
250g/8oz frozen sweetcorn
300ml/½ pint can coconut milk
1 lime, juice only
1 tbsp chopped [coriander/cilantro] leaves

Method:
1. Put the potatoes, lemongrass and lentils into a medium saucepan and add enough boiling water to just cover the tops of the potatoes. Return to the boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin until the onion is soft. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the coriander, and stir well.
3. Remove the lemongrass from the lentil pan, then add the lentil mixture to the onion mixture.
4. Simmer everything for about 10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft, then add the chopped [coriander/cilantro].

NOTES
I served this over rice and with an onion naan on the side that I picked up frozen from my local supermarket.

This recipe makes a LOT of curry. Carrie and I both ate until we were stuffed and there were still a good two servings left.

VERDICT
I'd tasted this sort of Thai-ish curry before, but had never actually tried to make it myself, so I had no idea how it would turn out. I might have preferred it slightly more flavorful (it is very mild) but it was still delicious and surprisingly filling for what was essentially a plate of vegetables and starch. A great warm-weather meal.

Eastern Europe

Recipes: Spaetzle, Sausages


Spaetzle--

Ingredients:
6 eggs, beaten frothy
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup milk
3 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

Method:
1. Mix wet ingredients first. Then, with a power mixer, slowly add flour until it's all combined.
2. Boil a pot of water. Have a lid, large slotted spoon, colander, and pot holder nearby.
3. I don't have a spaetzle hex, so I did it the 'fun' way. You could also just use a spoon and plop globs in the water, though this makes them more like dumplings than a pasta.
4. Ladle two spoonfuls of batter into a colander. Use the back of the ladle to push the batter through the holes in the boiling water. Once there is a layer in the pot, cover and allow the spaetzle to puff up. It takes about two minutes. They will expand and get puffy.
5. Use the slotted spoon to move them into another colander, or a paper-towel. Repeat until you have no more batter.


Bacon Sauce--

Ingredients:
One package Smart Bacon, chopped well
4 tbsp butter
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Throw it all in a pan and cook for about 5 minutes, until the bacon gets limp.
2. Drizzle over spaetzle, then sprinkle with the cheese.



Polish Sausages with Cabbage--

Ingredients:
2 lbs polish sausages
1 large onion
1 head cabbage, cored and quartered
1/2 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 tbsp butter
Italian herbs
salt to taste

Method:
1. In a frying pan, brown your onions in the butter along with your sausages. (We used 6 Johnsonville Bratwursts and a box of Morning Star Breakfast links. I think that Boca or MS makes veg. brats, but I couldn't find them at our stores this week. If you are going to make this recipe, I recommend waiting until you can find the veg. bratwursts, you'll have a better flavor in the end) Also--if using precooked or vegetarian, do your onions first, then throw in the sausages for long enough to get browned.
2. Once cooked, add the cabbage, broth/wine, and herbs. We only had oregano for whatever reason, but it worked well.
3. Cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 15 minutes. I like my cabbage softer, so I added about 7 minutes.


I love spaetzle. I grew up with it and just recently discovered it in the stringy-pasta form. We always made larger dumplings at home, which are still good, just different. At home, we usually serve with butter and parmesan cheese. I decided to try the bacon sauce and it was a nice change.

The sausages were okay. When I was in Dusseldorf a few years ago, the family we were staying with made an amazing sausage and cabbage dish that I just can't seem to duplicate. I would have made this with vinegar instead of wine, because I prefer that flavor with my cabbage. But I can see how, if we had used polish sausages instead of brats, it would be nice with the wine. Also--do they make vegetarian polish sausages?!

Verdict--I need a spaetzle hex because this method was brutal on my arms and the kitchen.